Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2025-1097: ingress-nginx controller - configuration injection via unsanitized auth-tls-match-cn annotation
A security issue was discovered in ingress-nginx https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx where the auth-tls-match-cn Ingress annotation can be used to inject configuration into nginx.
CVSS 8.8 High EPSS 33.2% · p98 Check exposure
Should you act?
High exploit likelihood
EPSS ranks it in the top 5% of all CVEs for likely exploitation in the next 30 days. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
- EPSS 33.2%, percentile 98: FIRST’s model estimates a 33.2% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 98% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Editorial verdict: Check exposure. IngressNightmare: ingress-nginx Cluster Takeover RCE — Patched since March 2025. If any cluster still runs ingress-nginx below 1.11.5 or 1.12.1, that is a cluster-takeover risk, and the controller itself is now retired, so plan the migration while you check.
What it is
A security issue was discovered in ingress-nginx https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx where the auth-tls-match-cn Ingress annotation can be used to inject configuration into nginx. This can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller, and disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller. (Note that in the default installation, the controller can access all Secrets cluster-wide.)
Weakness type: CWE-20.
Product: kubernetes ingress-nginx · Assigned by: kubernetes · Published: 2025-03-24
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| kubernetes | ingress-nginx | <= 1.11.4, 1.12.0 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| kubernetes | 3.1 | 8.8 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 33.24% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by kubernetes
- — erroneo.us brief: IngressNightmare: ingress-nginx Cluster Takeover RCE
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2025-1097 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2025-1097 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com
- security.netapp.com security.netapp.com
- exploit-db.com exploit-db.com